Dreaming of You
by Your Lady of Discord
Summary: Hermione is having rather...odd dreams about Severus Snape. After visiting Trelawney, she's more than a little unnerved. She tries to avoid any attraction to Snape but what happens when she's assigned as his aide for the whole year. Things could get messy
1. My Teacher, MyCRUSH?

**Dreaming of You**

**By: acrophobia1322

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**Rating: **T (Possibly M later)

**Pairings: **Hermione/Severus, Harry/Ginny, New DADA Prof./Severus, Ron/Luna (I know…I'm evil.)

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/Angst/Action & Adventure

**Complete Summary: **Hermione has been having odd dreams about a professor. But it's odd because it's the last professor she'd expect. Severus Snape. She bites the bullet and goes to see Professor Trelawney about what it could mean, but it only makes things worse. With her growing attraction for her Potions professor, it doesn't help when several peculiar things involving the two of them begin to happen. Potions, professors, and dreams…OH MY!

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**Disclaimer: **This goes for the whole story: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER AND COMPANY! © JK Rowling!

**Note: **Most likely, unless I go _really _fast, this won't be finished by the time the sixth book comes out so some stuff after it comes out will be wrong. Spare me the flames. (This is for the whole story too!)

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**Chapter One:**

My Teacher, My…CRUSH!

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Hermione's eyes skimmed over the same line in her book nearly six times. It wasn't as if she were really reading it anyway. She was too distracted. Her mind was buzzing with the confusing images from her dream the previous night. No matter how hard she tried to push it to the back of her mind so that she could finish studying for her NEWTs, it always seemed to shove itself back to the front to continue bothering her.

She closed her book and buried her face in her hands, taking a deep breath before putting her book back into her bag. Harry and Ron looked up at her from their Wizards' Chess match, giving her slightly quizzical looks.

"What's the matter, 'Mione?" asked Harry, watching his knight being massacred by Ron's queen.

"I need a break," she breathed. The two boys stopped their game immediately and Ron reached up to feel Hermione's forehead.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked. "Are you ill? I've never seen you willingly say you needed a break from studying before."

Hermione pushed Ron's hand off her head and gave him an irritated look. "No, Ronald, I am not ill. I just need to get some fresh air outside. Is that okay with you? I just need a little break and then I'm going to come in and continue studying."

Harry and Ron continued to give her questionable looks. Finally, they shrugged. Harry watched Hermione set her school bag down beside him and saw her jump out of the portrait hole.

"Doesn't it feel like she's not telling us something?" asked Harry.

"All the time, mate," replied Ron. "Check mate."

Hermione meandered through the corridors and down staircases. Her Head Girl badge glinted in the sun light from the windows, though she didn't much care for that or for the three first years that were whispering conspicuously on the staircase. The only thing that was on her mind was the dream she had had. Deft, slender pale hands touching her neck, her face. Raven black hair tickling her soft skin. Mysterious black eyes peering into her soul. She shivered at the thought. She knew who those hands, hair, and eyes belonged to and it didn't seem possible. It didn't seem right.

"Miss Granger," snapped a voice behind her. She jumped. "Are you going to stand there, blocking the way onto the grounds all day or will you allow someone through?"

Hermione turned and came eye to eye with a pair of icy black pools. She gulped and her face flushed. Severus Snape was hovering over her, his pale, slender hands on his hips and his curtain of ebony black hair framing his face. She stared at him, almost horrorstruck for a moment.

"Miss Granger!" he snapped. "_What _are you looking at?"

He looked down on her, her face red and her eyes snapping around his face. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"S-s-sorry, professor," she stammered and moved out of the way, allowing him to leave. He didn't move through the doors, however. "I was—er—distracted."

Severus gave her a withering glance and then left the school. Hermione buried her face in her hands in an attempt to hide the blush until it was completely off her face. She sighed heavily and peered out the double doors of the entrance hall, looking for a sign of Severus. She was relieved when she did not see him. She made her way outside and over to the lake. She sat down and leaned against a nearby tree, sighing heavily and rubbing her forehead.

"What's happening to me?" she asked, closing her eyes. In a flash, the images of her dream flashed through her mind and she jolted up. "This is not right…not right at all. What am I going to do?" she cried. She shook her head slightly. "Get yourself together, Hermione. It was just a dream. More than 75 of all sexual dreams are in no way related to sex! … But how can I be sure?"

'_Ask Trelawney,' _said a part of her mind. '_She'd know.'_

'_No she wouldn't,' _argued the logical side of her brain. _'She's just a stupid old maid. She has no idea what she's talking about. She predicted that Harry was going to die…_numerous_ times! And did he? No!'_

'_But it couldn't hurt to ask.'_

'_Wow…I must have gone mental. I'm having a conversation with my mind.'_

Hermione sighed and got up, knowing that she wasn't going to find any relief from her mind at the time being. She took one final look around and then started for the front doors again. She pushed them open and felt a chill run down her spine. She looked over her shoulder and saw Severus standing under a tree, basked in shadow, his hair waving in the light breeze. His eyes were fixed on her back and she could have sworn, by the look in his eye, that he knew what was on her mind. Hermione shuddered at the thought and then proceeded into the castle, closing the doors behind her.

'_What was that all about?' _she thought to herself as she started up the stairs. '_It was like he _knew…_but that's…it's impossible! There's absolutely no way…but still…' _

Hermione let another sigh escape her lips as she continued to climb the stairs. Soon she found herself standing beneath the trap door leading to the Divination classroom. Hermione choked down her pride and started to climb the ladder. She pushed open the trap door and nearly choked as the suffocating spell of incense filled her lungs. She grasped the side of the trap door for support and then pushed herself into the classroom, loosening her school tie as the heat immediately got to her.

"Come in, child," came the dreamy voice of Trelawney from behind a large, squashy red armchair. "I've been expecting you for sometime. I presume this is about your dream?"

'_Lucky guess, I'll bet,'_ Hermione thought, closing the door and stepping toward the armchair. "Er—yes, professor."

"Do not fear, dear girl," drawled Trelawney. "He knows nothing of your dreaming. Please sit."

"Oh, but, professor, I was only wondering if you could—"

"Tell you what your dream meant? I know, I know. Please sit down and I will begin." Trelawney waved her hand toward a large red pouf next to her table. "Please."

Hermione plopped down on the pouf and stared up at Trelawney. The brunette found that her heart was beating ridiculously fast in her chest for something she didn't think was even true. She took a deep breath and Trelawney adjusted her glasses.

"Ah, I see," droned the professor. "Yes, yes, I see clearly. Hands…hair…eyes…" Hermione's breath caught in her chest. "How odd. How odd, indeed." Hermione clutched her skirt tightly in her hands, nervously eyeing the older woman before her. "This dream…it signals an attraction. A small attraction chained down and hidden deep within your heart. You find it impossible, terrible, but still it is there. Be forewarned, though, my dear, that should you allow your small fondness for the Potion's Master to mature, several rough times lay ahead. You will not be the only one chasing for his heart."

Hermione felt the temperature in her face rise. She got to her feet. "Er—thanks," she breathed and raced out of the classroom. Her face was a brilliant red color and her heart was pounding in her chest. She veered into the out-of-order girls' lavatory and ran over to a sink, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"Who's there?" came a curious voice from a nearby bathroom stall. Hermione looked up just in time to see Moaning Myrtle phasing through the stall door. "Hermione? Are you alright?" Myrtle's voice wasn't even remotely flecked with concern, just curiosity.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Fine," Hermione panted. "Just fine. Just wanted to get away from society, you know?"

"Oh, yes, I know," Myrtle replied. "That's why whenever someone, like that Lavender girl, decides to have a peek in here, I hide in the U-bend. Quite cozy there, really."

"I'll take your word for it," Hermione replied, turning on the sink and splashing her face with cold water. "Well, I enjoyed the chat, Myrtle, but I really must be off. I have NEWTs to study for and whatnot. Good-bye."

"Good-bye," breathed Myrtle, lifting a transparent hand and waving slightly.

Hermione choked down her air as she entered into the corridor. She bit her bottom lip slightly as she looked around, not sure where she wanted to go at the moment. She settled for heading back to her common room. She started up the Grand Staircase again, keeping her eyes on her feet at all times. Hearing that you secretly like someone from a professor you never really believed in was not something you wanted to endure. She sighed.

'_It's probably just a load of rubbish anyway,'_ she thought, her feet shuffling against the stairs as she climbed them.

When she got to the seventh floor corridor, she stopped and looked around. For a moment, she thought about going back to the Divination tower and asking Trelawney to rethink what she'd told her. She resolved against it and continued to trudge toward the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Password?" asked the plump woman clad in a pink. Hermione looked up.

"_Hapaterum blasphemus_, " she murmured, watching the portrait hole swing open. She entered and saw that Harry and Ron had just finished yet another chess match. They looked up to greet her but saw the sullen look outlining her face.

"What's wrong now?" asked Ron.

"Huh? Oh! Nothing! I'm just a little tired," she said. "I think I'll take my stuff up into my dorm and study a little and then catch a nap before lunch, okay?"

"Uh—okay," replied Harry, watching his rook as it reassembled itself. "See you at lunch then?"

"Yeah, see you at lunch," Hermione murmured, picking up her book from beside her and starting up the staircase leading to the girls' dormitories. She stopped outside the sixth years' dorms and knocked.

"Who is it?" came the sweet voice of Ginny Weasley.

"Gin, it's me," Hermione called. Ginny opened the door and peeked out. "Are you alone in there?"

"Uh, yeah," replied Ginny. "Come on in. Is something wrong?" Hermione didn't answer her at first. She just went over to Ginny's bed and plopped down, rubbing her head slightly. "'Mione, what's the matter?"

"Ungh…" moaned Hermione. She turned her head and looked up at the only female Weasley. "I don't know what's wrong…I've been having these weird dreams lately and then I went to see Trelawney about them and it turns out it's the one thing I did not want it to be."

Hermione sat up and patted for Ginny to sit next to her before beginning to explain her dream. When she was finished, Ginny had her hand over her mouth and looked in complete horror. There was a long, drawn out pause and Hermione felt her stomach tightening.

"Snape?" blurted Ginny, without thinking. Hermione clamped her hand over Ginny's mouth and stared at the dormitory door accusingly, as if she expected someone who had been eavesdropping to enter and yell at Hermione. When no one did, Hermione removed her handed and nodded. "B-b-but it's _Snape_!"

"I knooooww…" groaned Hermione, throwing her face into Ginny's pillow and letting out an exasperated sigh. "It's just not right…but that's what I dreamed…and that's what Trelawney foretold."

"Have you ever felt this kind of…erm…feeling for Snape? Ever?" Ginny asked, looking at Hermione. The brunette looked up from the pillow.

"No…I don't think I have," she breathed. "I mean, I've admired his intellect a few times but he always squashed it with a rude comment or by taking points from houses who did not deserve it. I never thought I…_liked _him! At least, not in that way—well…maybe, I have. I don't know! This is all just so confusing! What Am I going to do?"

"I don't know," replied Ginny, "but this is just…whoa."

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A/N: Gah! Don't hate me for this! I just recently got into the Sevvie/Herms relationship! I really like it so I thought I'd do a fic on them. Not very good, I know...but oh well.

Acro

R&R


	2. Teacher's Pet

**Dreaming of You**

**By: acrophobia1322**

**Chapter Two:**

Teacher's Pet

Hermione stirred her eggs around on her plate at breakfast the next morning. She didn't have an apatite. She kept sneaking small glances at the staff table, where Severus Snape was looking menacingly at the plate in front of him. His fork was poised in his hand, ready to eat, but, suddenly, he decided against it and set it back down, shoving his plate away. Hermione yawned and also set her fork down. She was exhausted.

After lunch the day before, she had retreated to her room and spent six hours trying to coax her body into sleep. When, finally, her eyes agreed to close and she drifted into her subconscious, yet another dream had haunted her slumber. One more explicit than the first. More detailed. She rubbed her eyes zealously and sighed again. These dreams were not helping her current stress over their last year at school. She yawned and stretched languidly. She got to her feet and was going to start toward the Great Hall's doors when Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat. Hermione sat back down immediately and stared at him.

"I am aware that some of you filled out the application for professor's aide at the beginning of the year," he began and Hermione felt suddenly relieved. Professor's aide was something she had signed up for, being as that was what she planned to go into training for when she left Hogwarts. The experience would be priceless. "Would the following see me after breakfast so that we may sort out what professor you'll be aiding and what part of the day? The students selected are Seamus Finnegan, Hannah Abbott, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Justin Finch-Fletchly, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood. Those who wanted to be part of this program and were not selected, we are terribly sorry. I chose the students whose best interests would be served by this program. Now, continue on with breakfast."

When breakfast was over, Hermione was the first to make her way up to the front of the Great Hall. Luna later joined her followed by the rest. Hermione and Draco shared equally threatening glares.

"Ah, yes, here you are," said Dumbledore, clapping his hands together and surveying the seven students before him. He took a stack of folders from his place at the staff table and came toward them. He handed each of them a folder and they all opened it. "As you see, the class and professor you will be assisting are at the top of the sheet. The times are at the bottom. I can assure you that your aiding time does not interfere with class time." There was a twinkle in his eye as he glanced at Hermione. She gave him a smile and opened her folder.

'_What? NO!' _her mind cried. '_Potions, Professor Severus Snape. Monday: 5:00 PM. Tuesday: 6:30 AM. Wednesday: 7:15 PM. Thursday: 6:00 PM. Friday: 6:45 AM. Saturday: FREE. Sunday: 7:00 PM.'_

Hermione almost dropped her folder. Her eyes shot up and she was staring into the solid black ones of Severus Snape. He gave her a sneer and she turned her eyes back to Dumbledore, who still had the glint in his eye.

"You will each be responsible for writing a five roll essay on what you learned this year while in this program," Dumbledore said. Draco's hand shot up. "And 'yes' you will be required to remain in this all year if you wish for it to count as anything after you've graduated." Draco lowered his hand and grumbled at the folder in his hand. "All aiding periods are thirty minutes long, except for the stretch of time that either ends on your time chart with a 15 or 45. Those times will be forty-five minutes long. You'll all start today. As you see, all of your Sundays are PM. Each week, your timetable will change automatically for the new week. I think that's about all. You may go."

"Seamus, Neville, what did you get?" asked Hermione, moving over to her fellow Gryffindors.

"I got Charms," said Seamus, staring at his chart. "Not too bad."

Neville looked cheerful as he answered Hermione. "I got Herbology. What luck, huh? What did you get?"

"Potions…"she murmured, staring down at her time chart as well.

"Oh, poor you, Hermione," said Seamus.

"I got Divination," whispered Luna, surprising Hermione with how silently she had appeared.

"I have Care of Magical Creatures," interjected Hannah.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Justin murmured.

"So that means Malfoy got Transfiguration?" They all looked back at the Slytherin Prince, lagging in stride behind them. He was glaring at his timetable.

"Well, good luck with Potions, Hermione," stated Seamus, patting her on the back. "We're rooting for you."

Hermione sighed dejectedly as she stared after the other six students. Draco was still glaring at his timetable and muttering curse words under his breath. The brunette Gryffindor girl, stopped in the middle of the Entrance Hall, gazing at her timetable in an almost incredulous look. '_I honestly do _not _need this right now!'_ She tucked the folder under her arm and headed up the Grand Staircase.

When she entered the Gryffindor common room, Neville and Seamus had already informed everyone about who was whose aide. Hermione was not surprised to find that Harry and Ron were giving her piteous looks while Ginny seemed to be having trouble controlling her laughter. Hermione made a move toward them and set her folder down on the desk. She sat herself by that desk, folded her arms on the wooden surface, and buried her face in the folds of her black robes.

"It's not that bad, honestly, Hermione," came Ron's voice. Hermione nearly choked. This was coming from one of the boys who had made it perfectly clear he loathed every ounce of Severus Snape. Hermione was not comforted.

"That's rich, Ron," she snapped, "coming from you! 'It's not that bad.'" Hermione scoffed. "I am having a _great _week! I think I need a rest. See you later, at dinner." She waved to them, picked up the folder containing her Professor's Aide timetable, and started up the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories, Ginny on her heels.

When the two entered Hermione's room, they plopped down on the bed, grateful that none of the other girls was in there. For a long time, Hermione just buried her face in her pillow, hoping to Merlin that everything that evening went alright, though she was seriously doubting it. Ginny, on the other hand, had broken out into a fit of giggles, staring at the back of Hermione's bushy brown hair.

"Oh, honestly, Ginny! It isn't _that _funny! I find it bloody horrifying and you're laughing about it!" Hermione snapped and Ginny's giggles subsided quickly.

"Oh, come off it," Ginny reasoned. "I saw this coming since last night. Rather amusing if I do say so myself. Having dreams about the infamous Potions Master of Hogwarts and then being paired with him all year. It's starting too look like a romance in blossom." Hermione wretched and rolled over onto her back.

"Something tells me tonight is not going to be pleasant for me," she moaned.

At dinner that evening, Hermione picked at her food, stabbing it several times with her fork as if it were someone she really wanted to kill. She finally gave a frustrated sigh, nearly threw her fork on her plate, and pushed it away from her body, no desire to eat anywhere in her mind. She turned her head and looked up at the staff table for the thirtieth time that evening. Severus was giving a rather disdainful look to his food and, repeating what he had done in the morning, also pushed his plate away. He looked up and for a moment, Hermione and his eyes locked. She felt a shiver run down her spine as the images from her dream arose and she had to force them back down.

"I'm not hungry," she murmured, getting to her feet.

"Where are you going then? You still have an hour and a half until you have to meet Snape in the dungeons," said Harry, swallowing his mouthful of shepherd's pie.

"Library," Hermione replied automatically. Harry's mouth formed an O and he had the look that said he should have guessed that.

She shuffled out of the Great Hall and toward the Grand Staircase, her mind aching slightly. When she finally got to the library, she grabbed a book from one of the shelves. She sat down and began reading. Her eyes stopped abruptly as she read through the paragraph at the beginning of the third chapter.

"…_his eyes were focus on hers, every ounce of his being trying hard just to read the one thought that would make or break him. She was silent and soon it came to him. He smiled at himself as he knew he had mastered Legilimency…"_

'_Legilimency!' _thought Hermione, looking through the page. '_I forgot that Snape has the ability of Legilimency! Damn! So he's been reading my thoughts lately and that's why he's been so sour around me…He knows I'm having those…dreams!'_ Hermione shuddered. If he knew, then that night would no doubt be the worst of her life.

She looked up at the clock hanging by the door and jumped. 6:53! She got to her feet lightening fast and thrust the book into a nearby shelf. She had seven minutes to get from the second floor to the dungeons! She'd be lucky if she made it! Her feet clacked against the floor as she scuffled pasted several students blocking her way. She nearly fell down the stairs into the Entrance Hall and then veered right toward the door leading to the dungeons. Two minutes left to go! She bounded toward the Potions classroom, her heart pounding in her chest as she desperately gasped for air. She pushed the door open with great effort and sidled in, panting and sweating.

Severus looked up from what he was doing on his desk. "Cutting it dangerously close, aren't you, Miss Granger?" His voice was slightly more icy than usual. Hermione winced.

"Sorry, professor," choked out Hermione. "I lost track of the time. I was in the library and—"

"I don't want your frivolous excuses," he snapped. "Just sit down somewhere and wait patiently while I finish this letter."

"Yes, sir!" squeaked out Hermione, dropping into a nearby chair as fast as she could and taking time to regain her breath and composure.

When she was calm, she looked up at him and watched him as he scribbled on his parchment quickly His curtain of black hair hid his face and his hands moved quickly across the parchment. The images from her first dream flashed across her mind and then the most recent and explicit filled her thoughts. She closed her eyes, looking at the details of her dream in her inner mind's eye. For a moment, her body was warm and then she heard the scribbling stop and opened her eyes. Severus was staring her dead in the eyes and she gulped, looking away to hide the blush creeping onto her features.

"Miss Granger," he snarled in a low growl that made a shiver run down Hermione's spine. "Please take this to the owlry (sp?), without reading it, and attach it to an owl. Tell it to give it to Amadeus at Baraculus' Tendril."

Hermione got up and walked as steadily as she could toward him. Her heart was beating so fast. Had he read her mind again? '_Oh, Merlin, I hope not!'_ She took the parchment from him and her fingers touched his making her shiver. She started for the door, the blush already set on her face deepening. The door opened before she'd reached it and standing in the doorway, with Justin Finch-Fletchly by her side, was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Sylvia Poreschi. She had long, black curls sprouting from her skull. Her eyes were muted violet and her skin was so pale it nearly matched the snow.

"Severus," she greeted. "How are you this fine evening?"

"As well as can be expected, Sylvia," he replied. "Now, would you kindly move aside so that my aide may get through with the errand I have given her?" Sylvia looked down on Hermione and the brunette could not help but feeling rather intimidated and competitive at the same time. She moved to the side and Hermione pushed past.

She looked over her shoulder at the back of Poreschi's curly, black head as she moved as quickly as her already sore legs would allow. She followed all of Severus' instructions. She told the owl where to go after attaching the piece of parchment and then began heading back down the Grand Staircase. She entered back into the Potions classroom and she saw that Poreschi was sitting on Severus' desk, giving him a seductive look while Justin looked around, oblivious. Hermione wasn't sure why, but the scene made her stomach squeeze uncomfortably. Hermione cleared her throat and Severus looked at her.

"Aw, well, Sylvia," he said silkily, looking almost relieved to see Hermione standing in the doorway. "If you don't mind, I must continue on with this…program."

"Oh, I don't mind, Severus," replied Sylvia's honeyed voice. "I find it a rather interesting sport to watch you."

"Well, that's all fine and dandy," drawled Severus, taking Hermione by the wrist. "But you yourself have an aide to teach, so get to work." He half-dragged Hermione out of his room and around a corner, watching as Sylvia departed out of the dungeons. "Merlin that woman vexes me. Now, Miss Granger, let us return to my class and…talk." The sound of "talking" with Professor Severus Snape was not appealing to her at the moment because she was almost certain what they were going to be "talking" about.

She followed him back into the Potions classroom and sat at a chair parked directly across from him in front of his desk. He surveyed her for a moment and then reclined into his chair, his ebony eyes focused intensely on hers. She felt nervous under his gaze and her face flushed.

"Most of the time while you're here, I will be expecting you to be paying full attention. I'll show you how to prepare lessons and how to deliver them accurately," he began. "Understand?" Hermione nodded. "Good. I would advise you to begin the writing of your essay as soon as you find that you have collected enough to begin." He checked his watch. "Nearly 7:30. I suppose you'll be off, now? Don't dawdle to your common room, or I shall know. Head Girl or not, this is most definitely not a time when you should spend too much time alone." Hermione nearly choked. Was his advising her? Warning her?

"Er—professor?" she asked as she watched his getting to his feet.

"What is it now, Miss Granger?" he growled, looking back at her.

"I was just wondering…" she gulped, "…if that is all you wished to talk to me about?" Severus' eyes narrowed slightly at the pink spreading across Hermione's cheeks.

"Not unless you would _enjoy _discussing your dreaming," he drawled, folding his arms over his chest. "I know I certainly would not." Hermione's face reddened another shade. "Dreams are dreams, Miss Granger, and I, personally, do not take my dreams seriously, nor do I take the word of Sybil Trelawney any more gravely." Hermione felt a slight twinge in her chest but ignored it. She quickly got to her feet. "Now, be gone. I shall see you tomorrow just before dinner. Be punctual."

Hermione nodded and raced out of the class, heading for the Gryffindor common room, taking absolutely no detours as Severus had cautioned, not like she ever had anyway.

A/N: I know, not much of a…connection yet, but there will be one eventually. Just pay attention. I hope you don't mind the huge age difference, I know I don't. Age is just another obstacle and one easily conquered. Anyway, review, review, review! I'll update soon!

Acro


	3. What Goes Around

**Dreaming of You**

**By: acrophobia1322**

**Chapter Three:**

What Goes Around, Comes Around

Severus was on top of her, very close to her soft body. He could breathe her in, smell her very essence. Feel the silkiness of her chestnut hair against his fingers. Take in the warm chocolate color of her eyes as she stared into his. And then, in a quick moment, it was over. His eyes opened and he groaned as the loud screeching of his alarm went off. He grabbed his wand from his bedside table and flicked it, making the sound end. He rubbed his eyes and sighed, fully aware of the dream he had had. He didn't linger on the subject; he got up and got dressed.

He walked into the Great Hall less than fifteen minutes later, not as much strictness in his step as there usually was, and he failed to notice anything that would require taking points from any students for the whole breakfast period.

"Severus, are you quite alright?" asked Dumbledore, looking past McGonagall to stare at the Potion's professor.

"I'm fine." There was no bite in these words (which was odd all in itself). Just exhaustion.

"Would you like to take the day off?"

"No."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. I just need a moment with my pensieve and then I'll be just fine. I'll take care of it tonight," Severus replied. '_If I can stay sane enough _today.'

He absentmindedly looked over to the Gryffindor table and spotted a familiar brown, curly head near the front, with Harry Potter on one side, and Ronald Weasley across from her. His eyes narrowed and, as he did every morning, he shoved his plate away. He couldn't eat with the thought of a naked Hermione Granger floating through his head. It was so vivid, as if it actually happened. Her skin was so soft, her breath so warm. He inwardly shuddered and stood up.

"Severus?" questioned McGonagall.

"I'm going to set up my classroom for my first period," he stated, and then left the Great Hall, sweeping past Miss Granger.

Hermione shivered as she felt Snape pass by. She looked up and saw him leaving the Great Hall, looking extremely agitated. She finished her toast and grabbed her bag from beside her, getting up to leave.

"And where are you going?" asked Ron, a piece of toast scraped with jam dangling from his mouth.

"Ah," breathed Hermione, looking suddenly apprehensive. "I-I'm going to drop my stuff off in the Potion's classroom and then ask Professor Snape a question about my aiding time before going to the library to pick a book to read."

"Ah! Should've guessed that," Harry said, swallowing a mouthful of eggs. "See you in Potions?"

"Yeah," replied Hermione before exiting the Great Hall.

She stepped into the Potions classroom rather slowly. She stopped suddenly when she heard a foot tapping on the ground.

"A little early, aren't we, Miss Granger?" Snape breathed, looking at her back. She turned around to face him. He was leaning against the front of his desk, robes draped over the side of it, with his arms cross and a foot tapping lightly on the ground.

'_Oh, bloody…'_ she thought and began to blush. The classroom was a little hard to face after her most recent dream, which took place in the Potions classroom, on a desk…She shuddered. "Er—yes, Professor," she managed, trying to simmer down her red face. "I was just going to drop my stuff of so that I can make a quick run to the library. I was also wondering…well…"

"'Well' what, Miss Granger?" Snape snapped, his foot still tapping on the stone floor. "I haven't got all day." His voice was at a lack of icy sting, however, as Hermione noticed. His face was somber and his eyes were trying very desperately to stay focused on her face.

"I was just wondering if you were alright. You looked…aggravated this morning when you stormed out of the Great Hall. I was just wondering if anything was bothering you," she said, taking a few steps toward him. He was looking into her eyes when suddenly he choked. Hermione knew immediately that he had been reading her mind. After his regained composure, he rubbed his eyes and glowered at a nearby desk.

"You know, it's incredibly indecorous to read your students' minds without just cause," snapped Hermione. "Especially when mine is plagued with dreams so…" Hermione stopped and watched him, feeling her face reddening even more. "…_interesting_." He was giving her a rather odd stare and it was unnerving her. "Professor?"

"Tell me, Miss Granger," he began, "how do you feel when you wake up from having these dreams?" Hermione's eyes widened and she covered her warm face with her hands, turning a shade that even Ron could not compete with. "Do you feel disgusted that you are having dreams of touching me and being touched by me in return?"

He felt foolish asking those questions but he had to know. The dreams he was having, they were…pure bliss to him for some reason. He had noticed her in hallways and in class. How could he not? She had changed in the seven years she'd been at Hogwarts, dramatically. Her hair still was slightly bushy but was mostly a mass of curls. She had lost the baby fat she had had no partiality for and filled out in quite a few places. She was no longer a little girl but a young woman…but she was still his student. He watched her with unwavering eyes.

"I don't feel disgusted, Professor," she murmured, stopping but a foot in front of him, "merely perplexed. I never thought I could have dreams like this. I never _dreamed _I could have dreams like this."

"Cute," he muttered sarcastically.

"It's an odd feeling, really," she continued, acting as if she hadn't heard him. "My stomach clamps and it feel…woozy. Is that normal?"

"Highly doubtful," he replied.

"Well, I was just wondering if you were alright," Hermione said after a long, drawn out, awkward silence. She checked her watch. "Oh, drat! Class is about to start now! I guess I won't be able to make it to the library after all."

Snape watched her sit down and was going to say something when the bell rang, signaling for classes to begin, and all of his first period Advanced Potions class swarmed into the room, each sitting at their respective seats. He grimaced and tapped his wand against the blackboard, watching as the instructions appeared.

When the class was over, Hermione told Harry and Ron to go on ahead. They shrugged and left as Hermione finished packing up her things. Snape was sitting behind his desk, pretending to grade papers while listening to her shuffling around. When she started to move toward him, he looked up, fixing his face with a glower. She disregarded it rather reluctantly and walked behind him.

"Miss Granger, what are you—" he stopped when he heard her gulp. She was leaning over his shoulder from behind him and he could smell her, almost touch her. "Miss Granger?" Hermione gulped again, wondering if she should have continued or just gotten up and walked away.

"It wasn't disgusting," she breathed in his ear, her face turning bright red. "I promise it was anything but disgusting."

Snape's head jerked up and he looked her in the eye. She nodded at him and started to leave when he grabbed her by the wrist. He spun her around, pointed his wand at the door, muttered something, and then wrapped his arm around her waist. Her face was red as a tomato and her breathing had completely halted.

"P-Professor?" she asked. She hadn't planned to have that effect on him, not that it wasn't completely unwelcome. "Um—I have Transfiguration next." She watched him bury his face in the crook of her next and inhale deeply. "Professor?"

Snape suddenly came back to himself and released her, backing away sharply. What the bloody hell was he doing? The way they…no…the way _he_ had been acting was very unprofessional. He grabbed his wand, pointed it at the door, and removed the locking charm.

"Go," he said quietly, turning from her and putting a hand over his eyes. "Go to Transfiguration. Do not tell anyone of what has just transgressed, understand?"

"Professor…" Hermione whispered, taking a step toward him but he held up his hand to halt her.

"Do you not listen?" she snapped, the ice returning to his voice. "I said _go_!"

The brunette took a few steps back, giving him a wounded stare before turning, picking up her things, and leaving the room, glancing back at Professor Snape, who had hunched over his desk, his back to her. She left, making barely any noise except for the soft clank the door made when it closed.

"Damn it!" he hissed. "Damn it all!" He took a deep breath and stared down at his desk before jolting off it, looking at it as if it were disgusting. '_I'll never look at a desk the same way again!'_

He sat down behind his desk and covered his eyes, trying to regain his composure. What had he been expecting? She was still his student and he was still her professor…nothing more than a professional relationship could ever take place. He scowled as the third year Ravenclaws started to enter his classroom and began to get ready for class.

Hermione entered the Transfiguration classroom two minutes before the bell rang. She sat down by Harry and Ron and they both raised an eyebrow at her.

"We thought you'd be late," said Ron. Hermione gave him a look.

"I'm never late for class," she whispered in reply. Harry was going to say something but McGonagall appeared to give them their assignments.

The day passed and Hermione soon found herself heading back to the Potions classroom, her stomach clenched uncomfortably and several large butterflies flapping around inside it. She pushed the classroom door open and entered. No one was in there. She stared around it for a moment and then moved over to a door at the back. She knocked.

"Professor?" she asked, pushing it open slowly to reveal his chambers, but they were also empty. She sighed and sat down in the chair across from his at his desk.

What was she supposed to be doing? She didn't know. She shrugged and stood up, just walking around the room, examining it more closely than she ever did. She was about to come out from behind his desk when something caught her eye. Something silvery. She looked under his desk and saw a pensieve sitting on the floor, glowing ominous silver. She pushed the chair out of the way and looked into the pensieve. The most recent memory was swirling on top and it made Hermione gasp and jolt upward, banging her head on the top of his desk. He was either having thoughts about her in certain…_ways_ or having dreams similar to hers. Her heart started pounding in her chest.

"Miss Granger?" came a familiar voice. Hermione jumped in fright and her head hit the top of his desk again. She moaned in pain before sliding out from underneath it and standing up. "Miss Granger, what, pray tell, were you doing under my desk?"

"Erm—" she began, the cogs in her mind working faster than usual. She felt around in her pocket and held out her quill. "I—er—I dropped this!"

He didn't look entirely convinced. His eyes locked on her and she looked away quickly. He was trying to read her mind again. Well she wasn't going to let him this time. If he found out she'd looked into something as personal as his pensieve, she was sure he'd become insanely angry. He opened his mouth to say something but the door flew open and Sylvia Poreschi stepped in, Justin by her side once more.

"Severus!" she called. "How good to see you again!"

"Sylvia," he hissed, giving her a look. "My aide is with me now. She and I must begin our work. We cannot talk right now."

"But we need to," she whined.

Snape checked the time. "In 25 minutes, Sylvia. I'll come to your room and speak with you, but at the present, I have to begin teaching my aide, as you must also. Now go." Poreschi frowned and then left the room. "My god, that woman…" Hermione gave him a questioning look and put on an amused smile. "Entertained?"

"She seems to like you," Hermione replied.

"Too bad I don't return her feelings," he growled, sitting at the chair behind his desk. His foot tapped something and he looked down. Hermione's stomach clenched in fear when she saw a look of anger cross his face. "You were looking at my pensieve, weren't you?" Hermione was silent and she looked away, her face turning red. Snape got to his feet and strode over to her, grabbing her shoulders firmly. "How much did you see?" Hermione squeaked when her back hit a wall, hard. "Answer me!"

"Nothing!" she cried. "I only saw your dream…I think it was a dream! But that was all! I promise!" His grip on her shoulders tightened and he forced her harder against the wall. "You're hurting me!" She tried to pull his hands from her shoulders but was unsuccessful. "It hurts…"

His hold on her shoulders relaxed but he didn't release her. He took a step back so that he was no longer crushing her body against the wall. She looked up at him with fearful eyes. He leaned in and searched her face a moment before speaking.

"Do you enjoy knowing that I read your mind, Miss Granger?" he asked her, his voice low and dangerous.

"N-no, sir," she choked out.

"Do you know that looking into my pensieve is like reading my very personal thoughts?" he continued. Hermione nodded. "Yet you did it. Did you do it to get retribution for the times I've used Legilimency on you?" Hermione shook her head.

"I was just genuinely curious, Professor," she murmured, her heart hammering in her chest and the blush spreading fast over her features at their closeness. Her breathing was shallow and she felt smothered. "Um—have you been having…_odd _dreams as well, Professor?"

"No," he lied.

"But your pensieve—"

"No."

"But—"

"Enough, Miss Granger," he snapped and checked the time again. "We have fifteen minutes left. Sit down so that I may begin showing you how to plan your lessons." She didn't move as he went over to his desk. "Miss Granger, did you hear me?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes, sir!" she blurted and dropped in the chair in front of his desk.

They went over lesson planning, though Hermione paid less attention than she normally would have. Everything was just so…confusing. She didn't know what to make of the man in front of her. He could be insufferable but…something about him made her feel awkward and childish. It made her impetuous. She shook her head, quickly took in as much as she could before demonstrating it for him.

"Good," he breathed, watching her write down a fake agenda for a class. He checked the hourglass clock on his desk. It read 'She was supposed to be at dinner five minutes ago'. He sighed. "Well, our time is up. It seems our lesson extended five minutes more than it was intended to. Gather up your things and go to dinner. I expect you here tomorrow."

"Right, Professor," she replied, quickly picking up the thing from around her.

"And remember, Miss Granger," he began in a low, silky voice, "what happens in here, between you and I, stays in here, between you and I, understood?" Hermione nodded and left.

'_This is going to be the oddest year I've ever had…and probably the most stressful,'_ she thought as she made for the Great Hall.

**A/N: Well, there you have it. What do you think? I tried hard to make it look good. Is Sevvy too out of character? I don't know. He just doesn't feel right to me. What is he lacking…? Oh! Also, I revised the first to chapters. I'll put them up sometimes next week, okay? Anyway, review and help me out before I totally fail in this.**

**Oh, D.Y.K., I thought about deleting this and starting another one. I wrote the first chapter for it too. It was called Purely Professional. But I think I'll wait until I get Writer's Block on this before I start that one. **

**Thanks for all the great reviews so far. IPTUS!**

**Acro**


	4. Unwell

**Dreaming of You**

**By: Acro**

**Chapter Four:**

Unwell

Days passed and Hermione and Snape remained in a stiff silence whenever they met. Their dreams were just as graphic and real as they had always been. Hermione found herself not getting much sleep and going to classes tired. When her professors questioned her about it, presuming she was studying too much, she said she was fine and went on to the next class or to lunch. The truth was, however, that Hermione was not fine. In fact, she was far from it. Her exhaustion was pushing her to the limit. She couldn't study properly, she couldn't focus in classes, even her homework was becoming sloppy.

She was on her way to Charms when McGonagall pulled her aside one morning. Hermione gave the old woman a quizzical look.

"A word, if you please, Miss Granger," she said, motioning to her empty classroom.

"Er—sure, Professor," she replied, following her Transfiguration teacher into the room. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"That is exactly what I wanted to ask you, Hermione," McGonagall stated. "Some of your professors seem worried, including myself. You haven't been yourself of late. You've looked tired and your handed in assignments are not your best. I've also noticed that you don't eat much. Is something bothering you? You aren't overworking yourself, are you?"

"I'm fine, Professor. Really." McGonagall was not assured. "I've just been a little tired is all. Between Head Girl duties, classes, and studying for my NEWTs…" She paused and sighed. "It's just a little tiring. In a few days, I'll be right as rain. Nothing to worry about, Professor McGonagall."

"Well," began the older witch uncertainly, "I request that you eat!" Her voice was strict again. "I'll be watching you every meal. It's fine to skip every once and a while, but Hermione, that does not mean that it is alright to skip all the time. You cannot feed your mind if you don't feed your body. And NEWTs are months away. There's no need to worry about them so soon. If you're having trouble sleeping, then go to Madam Pomfrey and ask for some Dreamless Sleep Solution, she's more than willing to give that out, especially to you, dear. Promise me you'll try to recover. You're a brilliant student and I would hate to have you drop your grades because of some small thing like sleep. Promise me you'll try?"

"I promise, Professor," Hermione replied, forcing a smile on her face. "Er—will you write me a pass to class, please?"

"Yes, yes, here you are," McGonagall said, handing her a pink sheet of parchment. "Charms, right?"

After classes were over, she had an hour until dinner and then she had to go to the Potions classroom straight off. She yawned. She was standing in the middle of the Entrance Hall, debating whether she wanted to go to the library or the Gryffindor common room, when she heard thunder rumbling and the soft pattering of rain against the glass of the windows. She loved the rain. It always seemed to calm her spirit.

She moved toward the double doors at the front of the hall and pushed them open, sliding out into the soft drizzle. She closed the door and held her arms out from her sides, welcoming to moisture onto her body. Soon the rain, which had softly fallen onto her skin and clothes, began to pelt at the ground. She didn't mind it. Soon her clothes were drenched and her hair was slicked against her face. She took a step down the stairs, giving her body more access to the rain. She was going to take another step, when her body went painfully rigid, involuntarily, and she blacked out, tumbling down the stairs.

"Mister Potter, Mister Weasley," growled Severus, coming up behind the boys as they were headed for the common room from dinner. "Where is Miss Granger?"

"We don't know," said Harry, trying not to snap at the man. "Isn't she supposed to be with you? Aiding crap and all?"

"Watch your mouth," hissed Severus. "Do you think if she was with me that I'd been asking you this?"

He didn't wait for them to answer. He turned on his heel and started back down the stairs, his ebony robes billowing out behind him as he walked. He was heading toward the Great Hall when he spotted McGonagall coming out. She gave him a curious look as he moved toward her.

"Minerva!" he said, a bit breathily.

"Severus? What's wrong?" she asked, hurriedly.

"Have you seen Miss Granger?"

"Hermione? No. Not since earlier this morning. Why?"

"She never showed for her aiding session. I went to find her to make her explain and ran into Misters Potter and Weasley. Neither of them had seen her either," he explained. "She's not in the library or in any of the classrooms. I know Miss Granger and I also know that she would never intentionally miss an aiding period or any class. This is _most _unlike her."

"Oh dear," managed the Transfiguration teacher, a worried look on her face. "We have to look for her. I'll inform the other professors. I do hope she's alright."

Severus nodded and started for the dungeons, to check if she had finally shown up. She hadn't. He glanced along the staircases, hoping to spot her brown, curly head but didn't find her there either. He checked the Gryffindor common room, but she still wasn't there. He had almost given up hope when he pushed open the double doors leading to the grounds. He stopped abruptly, when he saw something lying on the ground at the foot of the stairs. It was her…Miss Granger. Her hair was wet and sticking to her face but was also a mess around her head as well. She had an injury above her eyebrow that was bleeding down her face, though the rain was washing the blood away. He skin was sickly pale and she was crumpled with half her body still on the stairs. Her clothing was pressed to her body and her robe was tangled around her limbs.

He nearly fell down the stairs himself, hurrying to get to her. He felt her face with his pale hand and jerked it back quickly. She was wet and ice cold. He scooped her up into his arms and hastened into the castle, pulling his robe off and wrapping it around her, though it wasn't much help since it was already soaked. Dumbledore and McGonagall had been hurrying down the stairs, warning teachers to look out for Miss Granger, when they spotted Severus running back into the school.

"Oh, my dear lord!" cried McGonagall, seeing the state of Miss Granger. "W-what's happened to her?"

"I found her like this, at the bottom of the stairs outside," he breathed. "I don't know how long she's been unconscious, Headmaster, but she's cold and her breathing is shallow. Her clothes are sopping wet and there's a rather nasty gash on her forehead."

"I presume your chambers are close, Severus?" asked Dumbledore. Severus nodded. "I hope you don't mind but we shall take her there. Minerva, tell Madam Pomfrey to come immediately to Severus's quarters to tend to Miss Granger. Tell her to bring—" but Severus did not hear the rest as he was already in the dungeons, hurrying for his office.

He reached his bedroom and settled Hermione on the top of his soft, warm black coverlet. She was soaked, shivering, and deathly cold. He stared at her for a moment before beginning to peel of her sodden clothing. First, her robe, second her shoes and socks…then he hesitated. He wasn't sure if that was what he needed at the moment, to be undressing her when he was having such sexual dreams about her…but he _had_ to. Miss Granger's wellbeing depended on it, so, quickly, he took off her sweater vest, tossed it to the floor, and began on the buttons of her blouse. When Dumbledore walked in, she was in her undergarments. He was taken aback by a nearly naked Hermione lying on Severus's bed while the Potions Master himself rummaged through his wardrobe, pulling out a long, black robe. Madam Pomfrey stomped forward and took the robe from him.

"Thank you very much," she barked, "but I'll need to examine her first, completely naked, so you two—" She shooed the two men out and looked Hermione over.

Dumbledore and Severus stood out in the office. The Potions professor was staring at the fire behind his desk, sneaking furtive glances at the bedroom door. Dumbledore noticed.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Severus," comforted the headmaster. "She's very strong-willed."

Severus was silent as he gazing into the flames that were licking up at the top of the grate. "I noticed she wasn't well. She's been thin and pale and tired. I noticed but I didn't do anything about it."

"Severus, don't take the blame," Dumbledore murmured. "This isn't your fault. You couldn't have predicted this." He rested his hand on the damp material of Severus's shirt. "No one could have."

When the Medi-witch was finished, she allowed them to enter Severus's bedroom once more. Severus looked over at Hermione. She was tucked under his blanket, which had been magically dried, and in his long robe. Her skin was still sickly pallid and she was still shivering, but the gash in her forehead was nearly gone, leaving a white scar, and her breathing had become fuller. Madam Pomfrey shoved two bottles into his hand.

"She'll be staying in here, for tonight," she stated. "No point in moving the poor dear since she seems so comfortable. Give her the Pain-Relieving Potion when she wakes and the Pepper-Up Potion directly afterward."

"Yes, Poppy," growled Severus. "I know how to administer these potions since it was I who made them, remember?"

"Then make her eat!" the woman continued, pretending she hadn't heard him.

"_Make _her?"

"Yes, _make _her. Her body is poorly nourished and at a lack for sleep," Madam Pomfrey replied. "I'd venture to say that she passed out of lack of food and toppled down the stairs."

"Come along, Poppy," Dumbledore rasped, guiding her out of Severus's bedroom and into the dungeons. "I'm sure we can trust Severus to watch over Hermione for tonight."

Severus pulled the soft, cushiony chair from his nearby des over next to his bed. Hermione looked almost dead and he would have sworn she was if her chest wasn't rising and falling with each breath. She was motionless for a majority of the time he was watching her except for the few instances she muttered in her sleep or rolled over. It was nearly midnight, and Severus was drifting in and out of sleep, when Miss Granger awakened.

Hermione opened her eyes and stared around the room. She bolted up, or tried to, and a swift, pale hand forced her back down. She looked up and was staring into Snape's ebony eyes. He conjured up a cup with his wand and opened a bottle that was sitting on the nightstand. She groaned in pain at the soreness of her limbs and the pounding headache that was screaming through her skull. She was congested and her throat was scratchy and raw. Her lungs felt heavy and she was very cold.

"Drink this," Snape said, handing her a cup of dark magenta. Hermione took it and drank it down. The pain eased and he handed her another cup. "And now this." It was a steamy red liquid that Hermione recognized as Pepper-Up Potion. "How do you feel?"

"Cold," she said simply. Snape pointed his wand at the grate on the other side of the room and the fire, which had already been burning in it, intensified. He also covered her with another blanket, this one emerald green. "My throat hurts a little. Can I have some water?" He conjured up a glass of water. He handed it to her. "Thank you." She drank it down and her throat felt slightly soothed. "What happened?" she asked, after finishing the water and setting the cup on the bedside table.

"You don't remember?" he asked, arching a brow.

"I remember going outside and standing under the rain just after classes…but not much more," she replied, looking thoughtful.

"You were at the bottom of the stairs leading from the Entrance Hall to the grounds," he explained. "Madam Pomfrey says that you passed out for lack of sustenance and sleep. Thus, I am forced to make sure you eat." A small house-elf wobbled in with a tray and handed it to Professor Snape who, in turn, set it on the bed next to Hermione. "So eat."

On the tray, there were assortments of different fruits, toast, scones, and croissants, some vegetable soup, and a glass of freshly brewed mint tea. Hermione picked up a peach and bit into it, looking up at her Potions professor, who was watching her closely. She swallowed her first bite and then opened her mouth to say something but he held up a hand.

"You'll eat first and then you can talk your mouth off," he said and her face reddened in a slight anger. She sighed and continued to eat her peach, sipping on her tea.

When he had watched her eat a good portion of the food, he was sated, as was she. He made the tray disappear with a wave of his hand and then relaxed into the back of his chair. Hermione stretched languidly and looked down. She jumped when she saw that she was wearing a rather overly large robed that was opening to expose her bra underneath it. She clamped the robe tight around her body.

"P-Professor? I-I'm, well, I'm…that is…you…did you…?" She couldn't seem to form a sentence and her face turned white and then very red. "Is this…"

"My robe? Yes," he replied, crossing his legs and folding his arms over his chest. "I had to get you out of those wet clothes before you caught the flu or pneumonia. My students' health has been and will always be my foremost concern." Hermione's blush deepened. "Don't worry. Madam Pomfrey saved you from me just in time." It was meant to be a joke and she knew it, but she couldn't stop her eyes from widening and a gasp escaping her lips.

"That reminds me," she murmured. "Am I…in your chambers?"

"Yes."

"Why? Why am I here and not in the Infirmary?"

"Because you were in dire need of attention and my chambers are closer than the Infirmary from the Entrance Hall. It was the better choice at the time."

"Oh…" whispered Hermione, sounding a little put out.

"Miss Granger, what you are doing, not eating and such, is stupid. Why are you doing it?" he asked, giving her a meaningful look.

"When I'm tired, I lose my appetite," she said.

"And why are you tired?" he prodded. "Too much studying?"

"No." Her voice faltered. "It's because…of those dreams." Snape spluttered slightly, which was very uncharacteristic and made Hermione's brow raise. "I wake up from them and find that I can't get back to sleep." She closed her eyes. "I-it's not because they're scary or anything…" Snape let out a breath that he'd involuntarily been holding in. "It's…it's hard to explain. I wake up and I have this sort of tingling sensation in my abdomen. It doesn't go away for a while and it keeps me up." There was a slightly awkward silence between them for a moment. "If I'm taking up your bed, where are you going to sleep?"

"The sofa in my office, most likely," he replied, reclining in his chair. "I don't sleep much anyway, so _where _really isn't an issue for me." Hermione nodded sleepily while snuggling further under his blanket. "But you…you need to sleep as given orders by Madam Pomfrey. I'd give you some Dreamless Sleep Solution but the result of mixing Pain-Relieving Potion, Pepper-Up Potion, and Dreamless Sleep Solution could cause…complications that we don't want."

There was silence and Snape looked up, finding that Hermione had already fallen asleep.

**A/N: Well…I still think something's missing…sigh…oh well, right? Anyway, tell me what you think. Reviews are our friends. I decided that I'm going to write a sorta sequel to this when I'm done but for right now I better just focus on this. IPTUS!**

**(CAN SOMEONE TELL ME IF I'M DOING SOMETHING WRONG?)**

**Acro**


	5. Don't Go

**Dreaming of You**

**By: acrophobia1322**

**Chapter Five:**

Don't Go

Hermione woke the next morning and was moved to the Infirmary where she remained for two more days. She left and began classes on the third. She was at breakfast that morning when she felt a shiver run up her spine. She turned and found that her eyes were looking at a black clothed chest. She cleared her throat and averted her eyes from the chest to the face. Her chocolate eyes met with a pair of beetle black ones as she stared into the sallow face of Severus Snape.

"Professor?" she asked him. His body was slightly rigid and he was giving her a guarded look. He held out something to her.

"I felt you may need these back, Miss Granger," he said, handing her the clothes that had been removed from her the night that she stayed with Snape. They had been washed and dried and folded neatly. "Though I am somewhat thin, I doubt I could fit into them." Hermione chuckled.

"Thank you, Professor Snape," she replied, taking the clothing from him. '_Well, he does have a rather comfortable sense of humor in there somewhere.'_ Snape nodded to her and headed for the staff table just as Harry and Ron entered the Great Hall.

"What was that about?" asked Ron, jerking his head toward Snape and then staring pointedly at the clothes in Hermione's hand. "And what are those?"

"_These_," she said, holding up her clothing, "are my robes and uniform and _he,_" she motioned to the Potions Master, "was just returning them to me."

"Why did he have them?" Ron prodded, giving her a suspicious glare.

"Stop being filthy, Ronald!" she snapped at him. "They were in his rooms because I was changed out of them when they found me outside." Hermione had explained to her to them what had happened the numerous times they visited her while she was in the Infirmary. She looked down at her clothes and saw a piece of parchment fall out.

"What's that?" asked Harry through a mouthful of eggs. Hermione gave him a look and told him to eat with his mouth closed before unfolding the parchment and reading it.

_We meet in Bristow, Wednesday, 7:30 PM. Do not be late or you shall be punished._

_Lucius_

"Something tells me this was not meant for me," she murmured.

"Well, what is it?" inquired Ron impatiently, after nearly choking on his food.

"It's nothing," she managed. "Nothing important." She saw Snape get up and leave the Great Hall for his classroom. "Er—I'll see you guys in first period, okay?" She didn't wait for a response, and though Ron and Harry tried to stop her, she nearly ran out of the hall after gathering her things. "Professor!" she called after Snape, who was heading for the dungeons.

He stopped and turned toward her, a slightly curious glint in his eyes. "Miss Granger? What do you want?"

Hermione stopped to catch her breath and held up the parchment. "Th-this…it's yours…I think…" she managed between breaths.

Snape took the parchment and read through it. "Yes, this is mine." He pocketed it and made for the dungeons again. Hermione tailed after him.

"Are you going?" she asked, still panting slightly. He gave her a fierce look.

"What I do is none of your business, Miss Granger," he said. She didn't stop following him. "Now, don't you have elsewhere to be? I'm sure Madam Pomfrey won't be pleased with you for running out of breakfast after you've barely eaten anything."

"But—" she began, her voice a silent plea. Snape stopped and turned to her, seeing her flushed face. She looked up at him, the look in her eye making him take a step back. "—I-I…I don't want…you to go." Snape smirked and Hermione was unnerved.

"Miss Granger," he began, starting toward his classroom, "this will not be the first time I have attended a Death Eater meeting—" he looked around for any stray students and when he found none, continued. "I'm a spy, as I'm sure you know. I have, thus far, been able to handle anything that they have given me, for as you can see, I am not dead. I am going, and your frivolous schoolgirl crush will not hinder me."

Hermione was very quiet very suddenly, her face reddening from embarrassment. He took her silence as a sign for him to leave and opened the Potions classroom's door. When he entered, he looked back out into the corridor to find that Hermione was making her way back to the Great Hall, looking dejected. When he heard the dungeon's door close, he breathed a sigh and turned around, jumping when he found someone sitting at his desk.

"Sylvia!" he barked, looking suddenly displeased. "Classes are about to start soon. What do you want?"

"I wanted to speak with you about the conversation we never had," she said, no seductiveness in her voice. Her face was solid, much different from the jovial look she usually wore when conversing with Severus.

"Ah, yes," he murmured, rather dazedly, pushing past her to get something from his desk. "Well, you are here now. Let's get this out of the way. What is it you want?"

She checked her watch. "Fifteen minutes is not enough time to achieve what I want." She smirked seductively, her face changing slightly. Severus took the hint and blanched, repressing the urge to retch.

"_That _is all you wanted?" he asked. "I'm not interested, Sylvia. The only thing about you that I want is your job, nothing more." Poreschi frowned. "I'm not one for relations, so your 'proposal', if that's what you would call it, interests me little."

"You seem pretty interested in your aide, Severus," she grinned, taking him in. "A little young, though, isn't she?"

"What are you insinuating? That I am anymore than a professor to my student?" Severus snarled.

"Oh, no!" laughed Sylvia, though there was a hint of sarcasm in her honeyed voice. "I'm just saying you're getting mighty…close with her. I was just wondering if you favor her in the least." Severus glared at her.

"I do not play favorites with my students, Sylvia," he drawled. She scoffed, obviously not convinced by his shows of nepotism for the Slytherins. "Not matter how bright they are. Now, class is about to start and I have to prepare, so if you don't mind—" He gestured to the door.

Sylvia jumped down of his desk and stared at him, meaningfully, with her hands on her hips like a mother scolding her child. Severus looked at her and could tell that she was not pleased with some of the answers she'd received. He stared her down and she walked out of his room, in a huff, stopping at the door to say "This isn't over yet, Severus" before exiting and heading for her classroom.

'_Who was I kidding?' _thought Hermione as she walked down the steps toward Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures. She lagged a few steps behind Harry and Ron as she was in deep thought. She had nearly let the entire group move ahead of her when she over heard Draco Malfoy speaking with Pansy Parkinson and his other goons about a Death Eater meeting about to take place.

"Father says that the Dark Lord is growing tired of Snape's excuses," drawled Malfoy, smirking evilly. "If Snape doesn't bring anything interesting, then he's going to torture Snape into submission, and then kill him, slowly and painfully." Hermione blanched and she grabbed onto a nearby tree for support.

'_K-kill him!'_ she thought, feeling her stomach tighten and tears burning her eyes. She brushed them away and started moving faster, toward Hagrid who was sitting with his hands clutching the leash of Fang.

"H-Hagrid…" she breathed, walking up to standing directly in front of him, panting slightly and looking down at Fang as the large boarhound slobbered all over her hand.

"'Ermione? What's wrong?" he asked, looking rather concerned.

"Hagrid…I-I'm not…" she said through choking breaths. "I'm not feeling…too good…Would you mind if I…went to…the Infirmary?"

"No, no, o' course not!" he said, shoveling her slightly toward the school. "Go on then!"

Hermione ran as fast as she could, sweeping by Ron and Harry without even a glance. They watched her race for the school, a look for worry etching her features. She, obviously, did not go to the Infirmary. She raced up the stairs, heading for the stone gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office. She dropped to her knees, quivering slightly from the overexertion of her limbs and tried to regain her breath.

"Sugar Quill!" she yelled at the gargoyle. It didn't budge. "Cockroach clusters! Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! Pumpkin Pasties!"

All of a sudden, the gargoyle jumped out of the way and revealed a staircase. Hermione all but climbed the stairs toward the door at the top. She scrambled into the office to find Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, with Fawkes at his shoulder, looking at her pensively. He took in her flustered appearance.

"Miss Granger?" he asked, his eyebrows rising slightly at the look of her. "Aren't classes currently in session? Shouldn't you be with Hagrid?"

"Headmaster! Y-you can't let him go!" she cried, fumbling over to his desk and toppling to her knees once more. "You can't let him go!"

"Miss Granger, what do you mean?" The headmaster's voice was its usual kind and calm tone. He looked down on her with her mussed hair and flushed face. "I can't let who go where?"

"Professor Snape! You can't let him go to the meeting on Wednesday!" she sobbed, clutching his desk desperately.

She told the headmaster of everything transpiring from when she had received her clothing to when she had heard Malfoy speaking of the meeting. When her story was finished, Dumbledore was scribbling something on some parchment. She had managed to find her way to the armchair and had tears willingly falling down her cheeks. She watched the headmaster hand the parchment to Fawkes and the phoenix took off out a nearby opened window.

"Miss Granger," he began, "I cannot help but assume that your…relationship with Professor Snape is a little more intimate that you lead on." Hermione choked at his choice of words. '_Relationship? Intimate? He makes it sound like we're sleeping together!'_

"Oh, no, Professor Dumbledore!" she insisted. "It's just that…since I started aiding with him, he seems different. He's not nearly been as cold as I thought and sometimes…well, he almost seems happy. It disappears so quickly from his eyes but I'm sure it's there. I have a high respect for all of my professors, headmaster. I'm just worried that if Professor Snape goes, he won't come back…" She sighed.

Someone at the door cleared his throat and the hairs on the back of Hermione's neck stood up. She shuddered and looked back to stare at the Potions Master they were discussing. He gave Hermione a slight glower, suspecting what the conversation at hand would most likely be about. Dumbledore motioned for Snape to sit down in the chair beside Hermione and he did. Hermione didn't look at him anymore. She turned her head to the hands folded in her lap and remained silent.

"Severus, it has recently come to light that you will be attending a Death Eater's meeting on Wednesday, insisted by Lucius Malfoy. Is this true?" Dumbledore surveyed Snape over his half-moon spectacles.

The pale man to her right looked down at Hermione but she refused to make eye contact. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yes, Albus," replied Snape, looking back at the elderly headmaster before him. "At 7:30."

"Ah," breathed Dumbledore. "Some new information has arisen about this meeting, Severus. Miss Granger, if you please."

Hermione turned toward him, keeping her eyes down and focusing on a leg of Dumbledore's desk. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth but closed it again, trying to decide where to start. She sighed heavily and began.

"Well—er—sir, I was going to Care of Magical Creatures, a class that the seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins have together, as I was lingering behind the rest, thinking about…NEWTs, when I overheard Draco Malfoy speaking with his cronies—er—friends, about a meeting between Lucius Malfoy and yourself involving the Dark Lord." She paused and looked up, locking eyes with her Potions professor for a moment. "Well, I heard him saying that if you don't give them something useful, I would guess they meant something they could act on, they were going to torture you painfully and ultimately…" She gulped at looked at her clenched hands nervously, "…kill you." There was a slight quiver in her voice. "I was worried, so I came to the headmaster and talked to him."

Snape looked down on her with his usual wintry black eyes as she ended her explanation. He then, turned away from her and stared at Dumbledore, obviously awaiting some kind of verdict.

"Severus, you know I can't give them anything to 'act on' that doesn't endanger Harry Potter or any of the students or staff of the school," began the elderly man. "If what Miss Granger says is true, I think it would be best if you did not attend the next meeting. Feign illness or obliviation if you must, but I highly warn against it."

"Headmaster," began Snape in a slightly incensed voice. "You know very well, if I miss this meeting now, they will be suspicious. When I attend the next one, it will most likely have the same outcome of the next one. Could we not fake information?"

"You mean lie to Voldemort?" Dumbledore questioned.

"It would be simple, in the beginning," the Potions Master explained. Hermione took a sharp breath and Snape looked at her.

"Do you wish to add something, Miss Granger?" the eldest of the three asked.

"Well, it's just—" she looked up at Snape who was giving her a cold glare. "—I fear that if He-Who-Must—er—Voldemort were to find out that he had been tricked, the punishment for Professor Snape would be much worse." She looked down, tears, unknown to both men, were forming in her eyes.

"That would be my burden, wouldn't it then, Miss Granger?" snapped Snape, still glaring at her. She stood up suddenly.

"Excuse me Headmaster, Professor," she murmured, and turned, heading just outside the door of his office where she feverishly wipe the tears beginning to spill down her cheeks.

Severus stared at the closed door for a moment before looking back at the headmaster, who had lost all elderly charm and had a look of utmost seriousness on her face.

"I wish you would be a little compassionate for the girl," Dumbledore said, his voice almost a snap. "She came here because she was worried about you. It's refreshing, I think, to find that you have someone who's looking out for _your _best interests, not the other way around."

"I didn't ask her to look out for anyone's 'best interests,' Albus," Severus replied. "She's meddling in places that ought not to be meddled in. She could get into serious trouble for that sort of thing. We don't need a dead student on our hands." Dumbledore let out an exasperated sigh, something he barely ever did.

"I understand where you're coming from, Severus," he said, "but that doesn't mean that you need to be so harsh to a girl who is genuinely concerned for your health."

The door creaked open and Hermione stepped back in. She wiped her eyes again and stopped abruptly, feeling the tenseness lingering in the air.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked. "I can go back out into the stairway if you'd like." The annoyed look on Dumbledore's face dissipated as he looked at her.

"No, no, dear girl," he assured, smiling at her. "Come sit back down and we can resolve this. Lemon drop?"

"No, thank you, headmaster," Hermione declined politely. Snape refused gravely as he was also offered one.

"Well, I suppose there is nothing we can do," Dumbledore stated. "Severus will decide if he would still like to go, though it is against your, as well as my, best interests, Miss Granger. I doubt we can stop him. But if he does choose to not go, Voldemort would undoubtedly suspect his role as a spy or that he is mutinying and punish, otherwise kill, him." Hermione tensed visibly. "But if he chose to stay away, a suitable guard and protector could be assigned. I'm sure Professor Poreschi would be more than willing to use her connections."

"That will be unnecessary, headmaster," Snape insisted. "I have decided that this little information that has been brought up is not enough for me to back down. I will continue in my Death Eater activities until I have been…relinquished."

Dumbledore stared at Snape with firm eyes. "Very well, then." He then turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, because of your current emotional condition, I would request that you are absent for the rest of your classes. See Madam Pomfrey for a Calming Potion as well as a Dreamless Sleep Solution. I usually find that sleeping while I'm in a state helps calm and relax the nerves." Hermione almost objected. "I will see that Mister Potter and Weasley retrieve your homework and bring it to you."

"Thank you, headmaster," Hermione murmured getting to her feet.

"You are dismissed as well, Severus," Dumbledore stated, waving his hand toward the door. "I do hope you'll think about what we spoke of."

Both Hermione and Snape exited the headmaster's office. Hermione lagged by a few steps and Snape stood at the foot, with the gargoyle still blocking. Hermione was cautious to catch up to him. She moved rather reluctantly to his side and made to leave when he grabbed her arm to stop her. She flinched slightly at his touch and looked up at him warily making eye contact.

"Miss Granger," he said in his cold voice. He looked into her brown eyes, etched with fear and concern. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Hermione lifted a finger and pressed it to his lips, silencing him.

"Before…before you scold me, please listen," she beseeched, looking away from his face. "I-I…don't know what's going on. Ever since these dreams surfaced, I have been feeling rather different, noticing things that I shouldn't. My aiding you hasn't helped. Trelawney told me that if…if I let my feelings mature, there would be troubling times for me…so I tried hard not to let them, but when time progressed, they began to ripen on their own accord.

"When I saw that note in my clothes, I felt scared for you. I know you don't want me to be fearful for you because you've had experience in these kinds of things, but I can't help it. I know you think it's a schoolgirl crush, and maybe that is what it is. I tried to make it go away but I couldn't. I used every reason I could to make it unjustified. Such as you're my professor, you're older than me, you don't want me, you don't like me…so on and so forth. It wouldn't be helped, though. It just got worse and I found myself looking forward to sleeping, to having those dreams.

"My coming here when I heard Malfoy talking…it was instant. I was afraid…so afraid you were going to die…" The tears were forming again. "I don't want you to die." Her voice was but a mere whisper.

Snape was completely silent for a long time. He had been thrown off guard by her sudden confession. He was staring at her, his mouth slightly open, his eyes flashing with many different emotions. Shock, confusion, anger…there was something else that Hermione couldn't quite place. When he didn't say anything for a long time, Hermione turned and made for the gargoyle again but he stopped her again.

"Wait…" he whispered. She turned to look at him once more, tears filling her chocolate eyes. He was captivated by her vulnerable look. "Wait…"

Suddenly, he leaned in and pressed his lips to her, in a soft yet hungry kiss.

**A/N: Blah! Is that too soon? Meh! This was one annoying chapter. I wonder if it turned out okay. Um, I would say that I'll revise and post all my chapters soon, but then I'd be lying! See, I'm not meticulous. I look over it and my eyes automatically correct errors, without my fingers doing any work, so I don't notice the blunders. As for beta-reading, my email was disabled a looooong time ago so there would be no point to that. After I finish maybe the first ten chappies, then I'll think about revising and posting, but don't hold your breath.**

**Meh! Unusually long A/N I see! So anyway, review! I love reviews! The more you review the fast I update!**

**Acro and you know it!**

**PS Has anyone noticed how my chapters are getting longer? I'm so happy that I'm doing it without even noticing now! I used to have to force myself to make it longer! I so happyyyy! (My goal is to make a story where I reach 100,000 words! Then I'd be truly and blissfully happy.)**


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